A Watery Kind of Love
by it's-an-Alice-thing
Summary: Lovino is a mermaid, I mean, a merman! What happens when he meets handsome prince Antonio? Well, I can tell you this, it's not what you'd expect! Rated T, that may change... heeheeee
1. a brief greeting

Alice: Hey! Sorry I've been unable to do anything as of late!

Romano: Not like we missed you.

Alice: Aw, love you to honey bunch!

Romano: Whatever.

Alice: Anyway, This is just a kind try-out of an Idea I've been tampering with!

I DON'T OWN HETALIA! HERE WE GO HONS!

…

It was a clear night. You could see the diffracted moon beneath the deepest of the ocean's waters. At least, that was what Lovino could infer from the view of his window. It was then that he decided it was a good night for singing. He picked up his little harp, and threw on his cloak. He then reached down under his bed and grabbed the key he had stolen from the night guard last week. However it wasn't for a door, no, Lovino quietly unlocked his window, and slipped out into the watery night. Yes, if you hadn't guessed it, Lovino is a Mermaid, excuse me, merman. A prince of the kingdom of the people of Atlantis, actually. Not that he cared, the only one the people, more so his father, recognized as prince was Feliciano. But who wouldn't recognize the better son? Feli could paint, trade, speak, charm, everything a kingdom would want in a king. All Lovino could do was sing, maybe dance a little. Why should he care about pleasing people if all they cared about was how much power he had, not to mention the riches. But he wasn't thinking about any of those things right now. Right now he was sitting on a rock a bit close the shoreline, looking up at the pretty moon, strumming the harp, and singing.

Antonio had never been much for parties. Sure, with his friends it was a good time, but stuffed up in a big room with stingy old people while wearing an uncomfortable dress suit wasn't his idea of a party. He had taken to bringing his flute with him on his escapes as of late. His dog had also enjoyed the walks with him, so there they were, walking along the shoreline. The moon was out, and you could see all of the stars. There was a slight fog along the ocean's calm surface.

"Look Oso! No waves tonight, you know, when Nana used to tell me stories she would always tell one about an underwater city. It was mi favorito! She said that when the ocean was calm, it meant that una sirena, a mermaid, was close by."

Oso barked in response.

"Well mi amigo, maybe there's one around here!"

Antonio laughed, and continued to walk, not knowing how true his statement was.

Lovino had just started a new song when he heard something monstrous. He thought back to when he would sneak pictures and objects off of boats as a child. One time he had heard the same sound coming from a beast on four legs. He had read about it somewhere. A dog? Yes, that's it. Lovino looked around. The bark had come from behind the rocks, on the other side of the island. He yearned to get closer and maybe catch a glimpse but he knew it was a bad idea. He went back to slowly plucking his harp, forgetting about the dog, and sang a melody his mother had sung before she passed away. It had always been his favorite.

Antonio was about to turn back, and make his way to a nice bath at home, but he stopped when he heard a faint hint of music. Motioning for Oso to be quiet, he made his way farther up the shore. The music got louder, and Antonio realized someone was singing. It was a slow song; he could hear the harp playing with light touches to the strings. The voice sounded lonely, almost sad. He longed to move closer, to hear more of the beautiful voice. It was almost hypnotizing to him. He approached the rocky shoreline, and turned the corner to the other end of the shore. He saw a faint silhouette against the stars. Antonio was sure this person was the owner of this wonderful voice. But before he could speak to him, Lovino turned around. Terrified of the man, he slipped back into the water, hiding behind the rock he was sitting on.

"No, please! Esperate! Wait!"

Antonio stepped onto the rocks, determined to get a glimpse of this person's face. Unfortunately, since Lovino had stopped singing, the sea had become restless again, and the rocks became slippery. It was inevitable that he would slip. And slip he did. Lovino jumped as he heard a thud behind him. He looked over to see The man lying on one of the rocks, slowly slipping into the ocean. He didn't know why he did it, and he couldn't have told you if you asked, but he did it. Lovino pulled the man off the rocks, and swam him to shore. He almost left him when the dog started to bark again, but he decided he could stay a little longer after it started licking him.

"Stop it! Damn it, that tickles!"

Antonio's face was dirty from the fall, and a bit banged up, but he would be fine with a warm bath or two. Lovino took a cloth from the man's pocket, and wiped his face with sea-water, humming softly to himself. The man looked peaceful, and handsome.

'Handsome? No. No, no, no! Bad Lovino!'

He slipped the cloth back into the man's pocket, and filled a shell with water to wash his face off. Despite the voice inside his head, he wondered what color the mysterious man's eyes were. The dog nudged his little hand, begging to be pet.

"It's okay, your master will be fine big guy."

Oso yipped in response. Lovino jumped when he heard the man groan.

"Shit! I have to go!"

He slipped back into the ocean, with a small goodbye to the dog. Oso ran barking to the shoreline, sniffing around for the nice merman.

"Oso? What happened? How did I get here?"

Oso kept barking at the water. Antonio was puzzled, but what else was new? He sat up, a splitting headache accompanying him. As he did so, a shell fell off his shirt. He picked it up, and held it in his hand. It was a little rough on the outside, but the inside was pink and orange like a sunset.

"Lo hermoso… (It's beautiful)"

Finally noticing that Oso was still checking out the water, he walked over.

"What is it Oso? You see a fish or something? Come one, let's get back home."

Lovino watched from behind his rock as their shapes faded into the darkness of the beach.

'What nice green eyes.. Wait no!'

Lovino swam down until he reached his bedroom.

No one even knew he had left…

"Of course. Even if they did, not like they would care. Bastards, all of them."

So heavy lids met, and Lovino fell into a restless slumber, wondering what that handsome man was doing at the moment. Little did he know, Antonio was doing the same thing.

…

/

Alice: What do y'all think? Good start? The next chapter should be up pretty soon, I feel kinda bad, starting a new one when I have so many others to get crackin' on, but my brain just won't let me rest!

READ AND REVIEW IT GETS CHAPTERS OUT FASTER! 3


	2. sticks and stones

Alice: Hey! Thanks for all the follows, and faves, and reviews! I hope I'm satisfying y'all!

Spain: Definitely satisfying me. Fusososo.

Romano: Shattup! Alice doesn't own this shit, now get on with it!

Alice: Alright alright, cranky Grandmano, fine!

…

/three days later/

Lovino woke to his least favorite sound. Feliciano was whining again.

"But how come we can't have pasta for breakfast to?"

"Feli, we had it last night!"

There was father, trying to be sweet to his brother again.

"Please?"

"Well, I suppose…"

Lovino grabbed his food, and brought it up to his room. Sometimes he just wasn't in the mood to listen to his family. He looked at his food, and just decided he wasn't hungry. Not that he was every hungry after thinking about his family. He put it outside the door after pushing it around a bit. They should at least think he was interested in the food.

He couldn't help but wonder what that man was doing. He wondered in general what the lives of humans were like day to day. He didn't doubt however that they were much more interesting than his.

"Prince, it's time for your visit to the people."

Lovino turned to see one of his guards behind him,

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming."

Lovino followed the guard to the balcony where, like rehearsed, he would just step out, wave, and go back to the palace. He swam down the stairs, next to his brother.

"Come on, idiot, dad'll have a cow if we're late."

"Okay! I can't wait!"

They stepped onto the balcony, facing the thousands of citizens.

"Good, boys, give a wave to your people."

Feliciano smiled and waved happily to the crowd below, earning a cheer from the watery bottom of the courtyard. Lovino gave a half-hearted salute, and swam back inside. To be blatantly truthful, the crowd hadn't noticed his entrance.

/…

Antonio sat in a cushioned chair as his caretaker spoke.

"I don't know what you think you were doing! Mios Dio Antonio! You could have gotten lost, robbed, and we would never have found you, nunca! (never)"

Antonio sighed, and rubbed his temples. His head still hurt from the fall on the rocks, but a nice bath had done him some good.

"Si, si, lo siento tío. (yes, yes I'm sorry uncle) I won't do it again."

Santos, Antonio's uncle, looked suspicious. But the feeling passed as he made his way towards his nephew.

"Now that we are talking, I feel the need to discuss something muy importante contigo (very important with you.) Don't you ever think it might be time for you to settle down? Find a nice princess, or prince? Sobrino no sé. (nephew I don't know) But maybe there should be less of the sailing and more of the parties. Less adventuring, more socializing!"

Antonio groaned, he really wasn't in the mood for this talk right now. But being himself, he put on a happy enough face.

"Uncle, I think I'll go for a sail this afternoon. It is my birthday today, I think I should get to have maybe a little divertida? (fun)."

Santos rubbed his forehead, but grinned.

"Ah yes, of course you may. Happy 18th birthday Tonio."

/…

Lovino was in the garden restringing his harp. The wiry strings often became out of tune after not being used for a while. Luckily, if there was one thing he was remotely good at, it was music. Music in general, he liked sound, he liked silence. Those were his paintings, his social skills. All through music, he conveyed his feelings in a silent way, yet the melody covering them was heard clearly. No one in the palace really knew he liked to sing and play. They all assumed he stayed in his room and read. Which he did to some extent. He read all sorts of books, but mostly about the surface world. He could tell you how many toes there were on a human, or maybe hoe they cook meat over fires at night. He was just going back up to his room when he was stopped by his and Feli's father.

"Si papa, what is it?"

Roma looked unhappy.

"Lovino, did you go to the surface world last night?"

Lovino bit back a laugh, he went to the surface world EVERY night!

"Si, just to look around."

Roma sighed,

"I want you to stop going up there, you have everything you'll ever need down here."

Lovino really didn't have a huge affinity for the land above, but it was more interesting than anything he had ever experienced down on the floor of the ocean.

"And what exactly do you want me to do down here? Please the people? Yes, because they certainly enjoy my company. Impress people with my amazing paintings and cooking skills? I think your 'perfect' son already has that covered."

Lovino was a bit more hurt when his father didn't correct him,

"Come on, tell me! Tell me Feli isn't better off to rule than I am! Tell me that he hasn't always been your favorite!"

Lovino could almost feel himself turning colder than the water around him. His father couldn't meet his stone gaze.

"Just. Just go to your room."

"Gladly."

It was the moment Roma turned his back on his son that he realized he was making a big mistake. He wanted to turn around, to say that Lovino was wrong. But he just had nothing to say to his son who needed so much to hear something.

Lovino was just getting ready to sleep when he remembered the eyes of the handsome man. He looked over to window, and beckoned a small fish over.

"You think tonight's a good night? For the surface?"

The small fish which had no comprehension of what the boy was saying, just nodded and blinked.

"Alright, I'll go then."

Despite what you might be thinking, Lovino is not as stone cold as he acts.

To put it simply, no one ever tried to socialize with him, so he had never thought once that anyone wanted to. Though it wasn't intentional, Lovino had developed a sense of security in being alone.

'You don't try, you don't get hurt.' A motto he had heard somewhere before that he chose for himself.

So that is why, he was contempt with watching the surface world from the safety of his ocean around him. Of course it was just his luck, A ship was out, and you could hear the party from a mile away. Curiosity got the better of him, and soon he was hauling himself up to get a better look at the festivities. Lovino watched in awe as the sailors danced on their legs, swaying back and forth to music played on instruments he only knew from pictures.

After a few minutes of watching, he had begun to lower himself back into the water, but then he heard that familiar barking sound.

"The dog? If he's here, than-"

"Antonio! Come, celebrate!"

Lovino saw the handsome man step out from under the deck, following his dog into the party.  
"Ah, I think I should take it easy, it looks like a storm coming."

'What a nice voice…' Lovino thought, unaware of his senses telling him to stop staring.

"Please Prince! It's not every day you turn eighteen!"

'Eighteen? That's only two years older than me…. No, stop it right there. Don't even think about thinking about him!'

Ah, but there was his laugh, it tinkled like bells, and it made the merman feel warm inside. But all that aside, he was human, and Lovino didn't concern himself with humans.

Little did he know, Oso was concerning himself with something else!

Before Lovino could turn his head, Oso was barking happily at having rediscovered his friend.

"Shh! Shut up!"

But Oso kept barking, trying in earnest to grab his master's attention. This was the man who saved him after all.

"Oso, what is it? Do you see a fish?"

Lovino tried to get away, but try as he may, Oso kept his paw firmly upon Lovino's hand, keeping his from slipping away into the water. Antonio walked over and kneeled down…

/…

Antonio peered down over the banister of the ship.

"Sure is beautiful isn't it? I know you wanna go for a swim, yo tambien mi amigo (I do to my friend) but Tío would have a fit, it's getting dark anyways, let's go back to the party.

/ …

"Whew, that was close."

Lovino rubbed his sore hand as he slid back beneath the waves, content with going home and taking a nice long sleep. After all, it had been a very exciting night for the young merman!

/./././././././

Alice: Hey y'all! Sorry it wasn't a very interesting chapter, but I had to develop the character's stories bit by bit, so it's not confusing later, trust me.

REVIEWS MAKE ME HAPPY (SO DO CRAYON DRAWINGS OF CAPTAIN AMERICA IF YOU WANNA SEND ME ONE)


	3. first encounter

Alice: Hey guys, sorry it took so long but it's here!

Please, if there's anything you want to see really badly, put it in a review and MAYBE I'll use it?

Romano: Alice doesn't own this crap.

/./././.

Lovino's heart was still pounding as he swam further and further into the depths of the ocean. His hand was still throbbing a bit, and he couldn't use his fingers there very well.

"That goddamn dog is too affectionate."

He tried not to swear too much, but sometimes they just slipped out.

Antonio had been right about a storm, because the water around Lovino began to grow darker, a sign that the sky was getting blacker above. He tried not to, as it was wussy, but he worried for the sailor's safety. Storms on the seas were rough in this part of the sea, even if they were close to shore.

"Maybe I should just. No! Well-NO WAY."

He began to hear the crashing thunder, and flashes of lightning. He swam a little closer.

All of a sudden, Lovino jumped at the shout of a young man who was most likely aboard the ship.

"The mast!"

He poked his head through the rolling waves, and was shocked to see the mast of the ship fallen over due to the harsh winds. The men were quickly evacuating into life boats, and rowing towards shore. Lovino looked around for Antonio, and was frightened to find nothing. He almost called out, but remembered he wasn't supposed to be there. He ducked underneath the waves. Across a few pieces of debris there was a figure. Lovino swam over to him with ease, and saw that it was indeed Antonio.

"Idiot, getting yourself drowned!"

He checked his pulse, and swam him up above the waves, the boats were gone. Lovino looked down at his unconscious face, and he began to swim him to shore.

"Damnit, you should wear less clothing!"

He blushed for a second after that one…

After five grueling minutes of nonstop swimming, they were finally on shore. The tide was calmer now, it had just been a quick but deadly storm.

"This is the second time this week you reckless man!"

Lovino was exhausted, he put Antonio's arm around his shoulders and pulled him onto the sand, as his fins dried off, they slowly began to form into legs, one of the perks of being a merman was the advantage of land and water. Unfortunately, the King had a bad running in with a few humans, and so he had actually forbid any mermaid or man from using their legs. But Lovino wasn't about to start listening to anything his father said. But he was too tired, he needed to rest.

And so, with Antonio's arm still around him, Lovino curled into the warmth of the sleeping man's chest, and fell asleep.

/./././././././

Antonio woke with a start, coughing up what little water he had swallowed. He felt a weight on his chest, and that was when he realized what position he was in. The sun had not yet risen, but could be seen over the horizon of the sea. He looked down to see a man, no, a merman? A merman with his arms wrapped around him in an embrace?

"I must be dreaming. Please don't wake me,"

Antonio's eyes wandered over the features of the sleeping person of the sea. Could this be he same creature he saw that night, the one with the tail? It was a slim chance, as this person did have legs, but he would have to hear his voice first. The beautiful being began to stir, and Antonio pretended to be asleep again, afraid of startling his savior.

"What? Oh, that's right, are you still asleep?"

Antonio almost opened his eyes, It WAS the voice he had heard all those nights ago!

"Damn, you sure know how to sleep."

He felt the warmth leave him, and opened his eyes a crack to see the man returning to the water.

"Wait! Por favor!"

/./././.

Lovino turned around, terrified as the man grabbed his hand.

'Oh god, he's going to-'

Lovino gasped as he was pulled into an embrace.

"Thank you, for saving me! I was wondering if you could tell me your name?"

Lovino struggled to form words, he didn't know how to react to the hug.

"Uh, agh, hey! Let me go!"

Antonio immediately complied.

"It-It's Lovino. Be more careful next time you go to sea, it will not hesitate to swallow you."

Antonio blushed as Lovino spoke, his voice got softer until it stopped.

"I heard you singing that night long ago. It was beautiful."

Lovino blushed a coral shade of red.

"You lie, I have to go."

Antonio did not dwell on the first comment, as it was false.

"Can I see you again?"

"No."

"Por qué?" (Why?)

"Because I said so."

Lovino shrugged away from the man with a still prominent blush, and shrunk away to the surf, his legs turning to fins as soon as he hit the water. Antonio watched the tail swish back and forth, pulling the small man into the waves. Lovino was almost completely submerged when he heard the man's shouting.

"I'll wait for you! I'll come everyday!"

'Stubborn idiot.'

Lovino thought as he smiled the smallest smile he could.

/././../././././

Alice: AGH! BRAIN PLEASE MAKE BETTER CHAPTERS!

Brain: WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME!

Alice: I hope you liked it. Review plz


	4. parting is such sweet sorrow

Alice: Hey faithful readers! Sorry this one took so long to crack out! I was having some writer's block, and it took a little time to get out of it! But we're back baby!

Romano: Yah shut up and finish the story.

Spain: I think Lovi means he's really excited to see how you continue this! I know I am!

France: My perverted radar is going off!

Alice: Sorry, I don't think we'll have very many steamy scenes, I was meaning to ask my readers about this! MATURE CONTENT YAY! This story is rated T, but I can always change that! It's gonna be up to u guys! I have never tried my hand at writing 'steamy' scenes, I know how to of course, but I never want to make a reader uncomfortable! Please in your review (If you leave one!) tell me if you want there to be scenes like this, or if u **really** don't.

I decided I would put a warning before each scene if there were a near tie.

There will still be romance don't get me wrong! Just tell me okay?

France: I think you know where my vote is going…

Alice: … Right… I DON'T OWN THIS SERIES!

Finally introducing new Characters!

/././././././…/./././././.

"Francis? Have you noticed anything strange about Antonio lately?"

Mathieu gazed at Toni as he walked down through the back entrance of the palace and made his way downwards towards the shore behind the rocks. Francis also looked up for a brief moment, but looked back to his papers afterwards.

"Well he seems as happy as ever, that's for sure."

"I don't know, he seems distracted as of late, well I mean more so than usual."

"Yes, I do sense some sort of pinkish aura coming from him every time he sighs. What is your diagnosis?"

Francis was chuckled and began to apologize for teasing him, but Mathieu looked onto the surf just disappearing behind the shoreline.

"Love. I think he's in love."

Francis smiled warmly, and stood up, wrapping him arms around the younger male's waist. Matthew blushed, but slid his arms around the man's shoulders as well. They left themselves in that embrace for a few seconds before pulling away and getting in a few quick kisses, though chaste, sweet and meaningful nonetheless.

"And how would you know so much about that Cherie?"

"I have a great teacher."

"Francis! Francis!"

The two stopped abruptly, and Mathieu stepped away from his lover, eliciting a frown from the older man. Down the stairs came a frantic uncle with business on the urgent side.

"Have you seen the prince?"

The two guests glanced at one another, deciding whether or not Antonio wanted to be found. It was a simultaneous no.

"I'm sorry we haven't. Why?"

"Well he's going to be late for his meeting with the prince of England, who, if I may remind you, is a very big asset to have in the form of marriage alliances!"

Mathieu blushed at the somewhat blunt implication the man was making, but before he could look back up, Santos had sped away looking for the dreamy-eyed Spaniard.

Mathieu looked back down, a little guilty for lying to the man, but gentle fingers lifted his chin.

"I'm sure Tonio will be grateful for our cover."

Mathieu still looked a bit glum about the whole situation, but held Francis' hand nonetheless as they began a stroll through the palace gardens…

/././…/./././…/./././…

Antonio never got tired of waiting. Well, he had to admit he was getting a little bored. But if there was one thing Antonio was not, it was a liar. He had said he would wait at this spot everyday, and gosh darn it, he was going to wait!

"Lovino! Lovino where are you? Please come out? Pretty please? Pretty please with tomatoes on top?"

He sighed. That was the fifth plead. He was about to sit down against the large rock again, but as he turned around he heard a small voice.

"What the hell is a tomato?"

Antonio turned around, really hoping that this wasn't his imagination as it had been so many times before.

"Lovino! You came! You came, you're here, actually here you're-"

"Yes! I'm here okay? I get it! Happy bastard… Now answer my question!"

"What? Oh si! A tomato… Ah, how to describe it hm. Well it's this red fruit! It's pretty, and juicy, and it tastes great!"

Antonio was climbing closer to the pools of water where Lovino had planted himself. As he got closer he saw Lovino take in his expression of utter happiness and bliss. It made his cheeks tint.

"You know it looks a little like your cheeks now! Fusososo!"

"Shut the hell up! Liar! There's no way a fruit could be that great anyways."

"Oh but it is! Son muy deliciosos!" (They are very delicious!)

"Then you better bring some next time."

"Next time?"

Lovino cursed at his slipup, but Antonio was almost in too much bliss to notice. Next time? Lovino was going to come back! But now wasn't the time for his petty thoughts, he had a guest to entertain!

"Well I look forward to it! I'll bring a whole basket if you want!"

"Yeah, you do that."

As if he had been given the okay, Antonio began to rattle off every little think in his head. As soon as he finished one thought, before Lovino could answer, he had begun another in its place. He could almost see the faint lines of a smile whenever he said something particularly funny, and it made his palms just a bit clammier.

"So why don't your people come out of the water and walk to?"

"My idiot father had a big falling out with some humans before I was born. He held the grudge, and passed the law that we weren't allowed to use our legs ever again, end of story. Not that I'd ever take orders from that barnacle of a king."

"King? Oh, so that would make you a prince! Like me!"

Antonio couldn't for the life of him figure out why Lovino had splashed all that water at him…

So they talked, and they sat. They talked, and they moved. They talked and talked about almost anything that interested them, half of which the other had never heard of! But they talked nonetheless! Antonio could've sworn that at one point he almost saw the corners of Lovino's mouth twitch. Sort of like he was trying to smile, but didn't want to. That day, Antonio promised to himself. He would make Lovino smile one day, then, hopefully he would make him smile for the time afterwards they spent together.

It was a while later that Lovino said something about the sun setting. Antonio only noticed the way the orange rays reflected upon the water, and danced up Lovino's skin, staining him with beautiful light.

"Hello? Are you listening to me you bastard!"

"Wha-? Oh, sorry Lovi. I probably have to get back to the castle now."

"Lo-vi-no! Not your dumb Lovi-crap! Yes, now go away."

"I will. But, I'll come back tomorrow! And you'll come too won't you?"

"…Maybe."

Antonio walked back to the castle knowing that a maybe was better than a no. Of course Santos was horribly distraught at Antonio's absence at the meeting with Arthur, prince of England, who to be honest Antonio didn't like in the least. He apologized for his tardiness, and made his way up to his room.

He wished tomorrow could come sooner…

./././././.././././…

Alice: There you have it, I added some Franada, and soon to be Usuk. I hope that's okay

France: Peeeeerrrrfect…

Alice:… Well I have places to go, people to see… Away from you… Far away… REVIEW IF YOU WANT SOMETHING. I MIGHT MAKE IT HAPPEN!


	5. jumping the first hurdle

Alice: Meh.

Spain: Ah, well Alice just set the fire alarm off while making pancakes for her family.

Alice: Was gonna surprise them when they got up, but the universe works in mysterious ways…

Romano: So she's pissed. And sad. And ugly.

Alice: Could have done without that last part, but yes, I do need to brush my hair.

Spain: Well, we are going to get on with the story now yes? Alice does not own Hetalia.

Alice: That's the last time I'll ever try to be nice again haha.

Don't blame me if my mood affects my writing, I'm just trying to get a chappie out!

:D

/././../././././../././././../././

Spain woke up bright and early that morning. Of course he stayed in bed for about an hour after that. So he actually 'got out' of bed at around 8:00am.

"Ah, if only the sun could set faster."

After a lovely breakfast consisting of an omlett, and a glass of tomato juice, Antonio made his way to his closet. His very 'VERY' Large closet.

"Let's see, I know I have them here somewhere…"

Last year Antonio had asked for a pair of worker's clothes, and being the prince he had of course gotten them. His uncle couldn't figure out why, but whenever he asked the Prince would shake his head and whisper that it was a secret. But it was no secret to the men and women in the fields what Antonio was doing.

"Ah, buenas días Marisol!" (Good morning)

"Si Príncipe, buenas días." (Yes Prince, good morning.)

Antonio enjoyed his days in the field, it brought him closer to his people, and closer to his favorite food. Tomatoes. One would say he had quite a liking for them. After his promise to Lovino to bring some, he decided he wanted to pick the fruits himself.

"Lo siento Marisol, necesito algunos tomates. Puedo escogelos?" (Sorry Marisol, I need a few tomatoes. Can I pick them?)

"Si, si of course!" (I'm beginning to think y'all know what si means right?)

Antonio grinned in thanks, and made his way to the tomato plants on the other side of the field.

It took a while, but he finally found the perfect bunch of ripe red fruit for he and his friend to enjoy.

" I have some time before we need to meet, I think I'll take a nice siesta then!"

It was indeed a nice day for a mid afternoon nap. Antonio had no trouble falling into a nice peaceful rest, dreams included. It was around five thirty when he woke.

Well, woke. Was woken up. Same thing right?

Well as he opened his eyes with a grimace, he came face to face with a young man a little taller than himself. Of course he was sitting, so maybe they might be- I DIGRESS.

"Sorry man, but do you know if Arthur is in there?"

Antonio, still sleep disoriented, blinked again.

"Where?"

"In the castle silly! Arthur Kirkland? Prince?"

Oh, that guy. Antonio himself hadn't really paid attention Arthur for the majority of his visit. They ate together, but only because it was 'required'. They held polite conversation, but something was telling him the Prince really wasn't there. He always had a faraway look, the Spaniard himself knew it, because he held the same gaze occasionally as well.

"Yes, he's there. But-"

"Please tell me he isn't married yet!"

Realizing he was still in his peasant clothes, Antonio decided not to reveal that he himself was the man Arthur was supposed to marry. He really had no desire to marry Arthur. What was a bond like that without love?

"No, not yet. It's-"

"Yes! Thank you stranger!"

Wow, It was really hard to get a word in with this guy. Just as Antonio was about to ask the blonde foreigner his name, he had sped in the direction of the castle with a faint shout of 'I'm coming Artie!'.

"Well, I suppose that woke me up! Look at the time! I hope Lovino shows up!"

/././../././././../

"Lovino! Lovino!"

"Yeah yeah I'm right here idiota."

Antonio stood up form the rocks, and looked over the water, spotting the little body a few feet from the edge of the shore.

"Ah there you are! You see I was taking a siesta, it's like sleeping in the afternoon, and then this man woke me up! He was asking about this other guy, so then I told him-"

Lovino listened as Antonio recited the earlier events to him, trying to catch as much of it as he could.

"And then I said to myself, hey! Lovino probably wants to try the tomatoes now right?"

He then looked into his basket and pulled out what looked like a small red… Thing.

"It looks dangerous…"

"No I promise they're great! Deliciosos!"

He could tell by the look on the merman's face he wasn't assured.

"Hm… Ah, I know! Here we can split it. I'll eat some with you so you know it's really not life-threatening!"

Using the pocket knife in his trousers, he cut a chunk for each of them. Stepping out onto the furthest rock, he passed a piece to Lovino, who eyed it carefully.

"Okay, you go first."

Antonio nodded and proceeded to chew on his slice, smiling as the juice slid down his throat. Afterwards he opened his mouth to show he had swallowed.

"Alright, now you try it!"

He watched in anticipation as Lovino slowly licked the surface of the pulpy inside of the tomato. For a moment the tongue, going back and forth over the fruit, made him blush. Just thinking about Lovino's mouth made Antonio a little jittery.

'Lucky tomato.' He thought.

He snapped out of his stupor when he heard a gasp from Lovino, who had taken a bite from his slice.

"It's-It's…"

"Si? Si!?"

"So, mmm. Ah, I mean."

Lovino seemed to realize how he was acting, and with a face as red as his tomato piece, he turned away.

"Good, it's alright, I guess."

Antonio smiled, a bright smile, glad that he had made his friend happy, even if… Well…

"I brought a basket of them you know? You can have as many as you want!"

Lovino blinked, clearly surprised.

"For me? I can have them? But don't you want them?"

Antonio laughed,

"Well I love them, but you see Lovi, I think it kind of goes like this. If I have something I love, and someone else loves the same thing, if we share it, won't our happiness double?"

Antonio looked at Lovino with a bashful expression, a little embarrassed at how cheesy that must have sounded.

Lovino looked up. He leant forward and grabbed a tomato. He then swam out a few feet, but before dicing into the depths of the ocean, he looked back.

"That's. That's a nice way of thinking."

He was gone before Antonio had the chance to say goodbye. But right now Antonio couldn't do much of anything except stare at the water and try to remember what his name was.

"He smiled…"

Once his body was out of it's state of shock, he laughed.

"He smiled! I got him to smile!"

He jumped up, took the basket, and walked back to the castle, clearly content with his day.

'And what a beautiful smile it was…'

He thought as he closed his eyes for the night.

./././././…/././././…/././././../././././././…/./././.

Alice: So tired, so much writer's block…

Alfred: Hey at least you got me in!

Alice: Yah; next chapter will be an extra… Get excited y'all!

Arthur: I'm surprised your bad mood a few days ago when you started this didn't affect the chapter!

Alice: Me to! Well Review please, tell me what you want to see happen!

Love you all my favoriters and followers and reviewers! 3


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